Our students want to use the world wide web for most (if not all) of their research. Fair enough, they are 21st Century students and this is the future; however, using the internet is not an excuse for sloppy research. Our students need to be able to assess the web sites that they use and defend their research choices. Below are the basic criteria for evaluating web pages.
Five Criteria for evaluating web pages (take a look at the CLUES page for more info) Accuracy. If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting him/her Authority. If your page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net) Objectivity. If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information Currency. If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date Coverage. If you can view the information properly--not limited to fees, browser technology, or software requirement.
How do you find out who publishes or writes a website?
Go to www.easywhois.com and enter the URL of the site you would like to research.
CREDIBILITY / AUTHORITYWho is the author? What are his or her credentials? Education? Experience? Affiliation?
Does the author’s experience really qualify him or her as an expert?
Does he or she offer first-hand credibility? (For instance, a Vietnam veteran or a witness to Woodstock?)
Who actually published this page?
Is this a personal page or is it part of the site belonging to a major institution? (Clues pointing to a personal page: ~ tilde, %, users, members)
Is the page hosted by a free server like AOL, Tripod, Geocities?
Credibility clues Words and phrases to look for: ·About us, Who Am I, FAQs, For More, Company Information, Profiles, Our Staff, Home
E-mail the author If you have no information other than an e-mail link, write a polite e-mail asking for more information.
Do a link check
· In Google
link:siteaddress
· Your results will show which other sites have chosen to link to this page. If respectable institutions have linked to a site, that provides a clue about the site’s credibility.
Does the site appear in major subject directories like Librarian’s Index to the Internet (lii.org)?
If you have an author’s name but no further information about credentials,
Search the name in quotation marks in a search engine or online database
On the Web, include words like profile, resume, or C.V. (curriculum vitae--an academic resume) to narrow your name search
You might also include the name of a college or association you can connect with the person
Search the name in biographical sources on- and offline
Ask your teacher-librarian for help
ACCURACYCan facts, statistics, or other information be verified through other sources?
Based on your knowledge, does the information seem accurate? Is the information inconsistent with information you learned from other sources?
Is the information second hand? Has it been altered?
Do there appear to be errors on the page (spelling, grammar, facts)?
OBJECTIVITY OR RELIABILITY Does the source present a particular view or bias?
Is the page affiliated with an organization that has a particular political or social agenda?
Is the page selling a product?
Can you find other material to offer balance so that you can see the bigger picture?
Was the information found in a paid placement or sponsored result from the search engine?
Information is seldom neutral. Sometimes a bias is useful for persuasive essays or debates. Understanding bias is important.
RELEVANCE Does this information directly support my hypothesis/thesis or help to answer my question?
Can I eliminate or ignore it because it simply doesn’t help me?
CURRENCY OR DATE When was this information created?
When was it revised?
Are these dates meaningful in terms of your information needs?
Has the author of the page stopped maintaining it? (Be suspicious of undated material.)
SOURCES BEHIND THE TEXT Did the author bother to document his or her sources? use reliable, credible sources?
Were those references popular, scholarly, reputable?
Are those sources real? Have you or your librarian heard of or been able to verify them?
Is the material reproduced (accurately) from another publication?
What kind of links did the author choose?
Are the hyperlinks reliable, valuable?
Do the links work?
SCOPE AND PURPOSE Does this source address my hypothesis/thesis/question in a comprehensive or peripheral way?
Is it a scholarly or popular treatment?
Is it material I can read and understand?
Is it too simple? Is it too challenging?
Who is the intended audience?
Why was this page created? To inform or explain? To persuade? To sell?
This information was adapted from a Powerpoint presentation created by Joyce Valenza
Go to the November Learning link for a full tutorial including info literacy quiz and list of websites to analyze
_
Here are additional links to tutorials and general information about web site analysis.
Analyzing Web sites
Our students want to use the world wide web for most (if not all) of their research. Fair enough, they are 21st Century students and this is the future; however, using the internet is not an excuse for sloppy research. Our students need to be able to assess the web sites that they use and defend their research choices. Below are the basic criteria for evaluating web pages.
Five Criteria for evaluating web pages (take a look at the CLUES page for more info)
Accuracy. If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting him/her
Authority. If your page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net)
Objectivity. If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information
Currency. If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date
Coverage. If you can view the information properly--not limited to fees, browser technology, or software requirement.
How do you find out who publishes or writes a website?
Go to www.easywhois.com and enter the URL of the site you would like to research.
CREDIBILITY / AUTHORITY Who is the author?
What are his or her credentials? Education? Experience? Affiliation?
Does the author’s experience really qualify him or her as an expert?
Does he or she offer first-hand credibility? (For instance, a Vietnam veteran or a witness to Woodstock?)
Who actually published this page?
Is this a personal page or is it part of the site belonging to a major institution? (Clues pointing to a personal page: ~ tilde, %, users, members)
Is the page hosted by a free server like AOL, Tripod, Geocities?
Credibility clues
Words and phrases to look for:
·About us, Who Am I, FAQs, For More, Company Information, Profiles, Our Staff, Home
E-mail the author
If you have no information other than an e-mail link, write a polite e-mail asking for more information.
Do a link check
· In Google
link:siteaddress
· Your results will show which other sites have chosen to link to this page. If respectable institutions have linked to a site, that provides a clue about the site’s credibility.
Does the site appear in major subject directories like Librarian’s Index to the Internet (lii.org)?
Truncate the URL
Delete characters in the address line up to the next slash mark to see if a main page offers more information about who is responsible for publishing the page you are interested in.
Go from:
· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages/chaucer/smith.htm
· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages/chaucer
· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages
· http://www.statecollege.edu/history
· http://www.statecollege.edu
If you have an author’s name but no further information about credentials,
Search the name in quotation marks in a search engine or online database
On the Web, include words like profile, resume, or C.V. (curriculum vitae--an academic resume) to narrow your name search
You might also include the name of a college or association you can connect with the person
Search the name in biographical sources on- and offline
Ask your teacher-librarian for help
ACCURACY Can facts, statistics, or other information be verified through other sources?
Based on your knowledge, does the information seem accurate? Is the information inconsistent with information you learned from other sources?
Is the information second hand? Has it been altered?
Do there appear to be errors on the page (spelling, grammar, facts)?
Practice checking for accuracy with the following websites
· Clones-R-Us http://www.d-b.net/dti/
· California’s Velcro Crop Under Challenge
· http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html
· Facts About Series
· http://www.idiotica.com/cranium/encyclopedia/index.htm
· Republic of Cascadia: Bureau of Sasquatch Affairs
· http://zapatopi.net/bsa.html
· Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division
· http://www.donotcall.gov/register/Reg.aspx
· For more examples: http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/evaluating.html
The Ova Prima Foundation
OBJECTIVITY OR RELIABILITY Does the source present a particular view or bias?
Is the page affiliated with an organization that has a particular political or social agenda?
Is the page selling a product?
Can you find other material to offer balance so that you can see the bigger picture?
Was the information found in a paid placement or sponsored result from the search engine?
Information is seldom neutral. Sometimes a bias is useful for persuasive essays or debates. Understanding bias is important.
RELEVANCE
Does this information directly support my hypothesis/thesis or help to answer my question?
Can I eliminate or ignore it because it simply doesn’t help me?
CURRENCY OR DATE
When was this information created?
When was it revised?
Are these dates meaningful in terms of your information needs?
Has the author of the page stopped maintaining it? (Be suspicious of undated material.)
SOURCES BEHIND THE TEXT
Did the author bother to document his or her sources? use reliable, credible sources?
Were those references popular, scholarly, reputable?
Are those sources real? Have you or your librarian heard of or been able to verify them?
Is the material reproduced (accurately) from another publication?
What kind of links did the author choose?
Are the hyperlinks reliable, valuable?
Do the links work?
SCOPE AND PURPOSE
Does this source address my hypothesis/thesis/question in a comprehensive or peripheral way?
Is it a scholarly or popular treatment?
Is it material I can read and understand?
Is it too simple? Is it too challenging?
Who is the intended audience?
Why was this page created? To inform or explain? To persuade? To sell?
This information was adapted from a Powerpoint presentation created by Joyce Valenza
Go to the November Learning link for a full tutorial including info literacy quiz and list of websites to analyze
_Here are additional links to tutorials and general information about web site analysis.
Case Western Reserve University
http://msass.case.edu/harrislibrary/LibStudents/tutorials/tutevalwebs.htm
Produced by the Wolfgram Memorial Library, Widener University. (tutorial is dry but has great examples and really walks you through the issues)
http://www3.widener.edu/Academics/Libraries/Wolfgram_Memorial_Library/Evaluate_Web_Pages/659/
Produced by the Teaching Library of the University of California, Berkeley.
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins Universityhttp://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/index.html
Prepared by Elizabeth E. Kirk
Lucy Scribner Library, Skidmore College.http://www.skidmore.edu/library/help/internetsearching/eval_list.htm
21st Century Information Fluency Project
http://21cif.imsa.edu/tutorials/micro/
Web analysis and critical thinking skills from Ithica College Library
http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html